Page 64 of Revenge

My stomach dropped, and my mind filled with the memory of Edward’s fury the day he had flipped the table in my direction. But even at his worst, he was still preferable to the headmaster, who seemed to be more than a simple academic and had a file of transactions linking him to organized crime. I swallowed hard. There was no choice but to let Edward lead me back to Elder House.

Thud. Thud. Thud. My heavy heartbeat reverberated through my bones, shaking them to the marrow. They filled the silence between us as we passed the small lawn between the caretaker’s lodge and Elder House. Overhead, tight buds formed on the tips of branches, marking the beginning of spring. I chewed on the inside of my lip, hoping Edward was bluffing and trying to shake a confession out of me.

A cool wind meandered across the gardens, filling my senses with the scent of laundry and cooking. It reminded me of the days I had spent locked in the basement of Elder House and my heart filled with the remembered despair. I glared down at my loafers and mentally kicked myself for returning to the academy the day I had gone to London with Edward’s files. If I hadn’t been so determined to get Henry to confess, I might already be in New York by now.

We passed by the last few students making their way out of Elder House. None cast me a glance, and I let out a long breath. At least he hadn’t organized some kind of ambush.

The warmth of the entrance hall made the skin of my cheeks tingle. Edward led me through the hallway into his study. The second the door clicked shut behind us, he grabbed me by the arms and pressed me against the wall.

I gasped out. “Edward!”

His eyes flashed. “What did you do with those files I gave you?”

“M-Marissa has them.”

He pulled out his phone. “Call her.”

“I don’t have her UK num—”

“Call her!” he roared.

My heart jumped into my throat, and my body stiffened. “I can’t.”

“Because there is no Marissa.” He stepped back, giving me space to breathe. “She probably returned to America the day after she brought you here, and you used her as a ruse to obtain those files.”

I made a show of rubbing my arms. Anything to garner a bit of sympathy. “If I did, the Saturday Correspondent would have published something by now. Instead, the articles all focused on Mr. Frost’s confession. You’ve already found your moles.”

“No,” he snapped. “Paul and Carbuncle would never betray me like that unless cornered.”

“Neither would I!”

His eyes narrowed, and he advanced on me, seeming to grow several inches. “After everything we did to you, why did you come back?”

“Rudolph gave me a choice.” I lowered my gaze. The scrutiny of his frigid glare caused my stomach to knot. “Either I return to Mercia Academy or go to a military academy somewhere in the States. Mercia was the better of two bad choices.”

“I don’t believe you,” he murmured.

My throat convulsed. So far, he hadn’t mentioned this convincing theory about why I was the leak and not Mr. Frost of Mr. Carbuncle. He had probably been bluffing, so I would follow him here to be interrogated. Or, he had been referring to the files he had handed me to pass on to Marissa.

“Edward…” I placed my hand on his heart, which pounded hard against my palm. “I don’t know what I can say to convince you. This is like last term all over again where I couldn’t convince anyone I hadn’t kidnapped Henry.”

He cupped my cheek with his large. “Tell me, Emilia, will I find extracts of those files I gave you in next week’s Saturday Correspondent?”

A flock of butterflies in my stomach writhed and flailed about in a dizzying combination of nerves and nausea. “I didn’t give them to the paper.”

“You wouldn’t stoop so low as to toy with the heart of another.”

“No.” I shook my head for emphasis. I hadn’t set out to break hearts. I just needed to get close enough to the boys to exact my revenge. They had proven last term that they hadn’t care about me, so I hadn’t considered their feelings… Until it was too late. Now that I had my plane ticket, I needed to leave.

He cupped my other cheek. “You’re the first woman I’ve felt close to since…”

My pulse quickened at the confession. His mother had died years ago, leaving him to cope alone with a declining father. My heart ached for Edward. He had trusted me in the end.

I wrapped my arms around him and murmured, “I care too much for you.” Right now, I was telling the truth. Over the past few weeks, I had come to understand Edward. What came next was also sincere. “I would never add to your problems.”

Edward hugged back. “I’m sorry for doubting you.”

I raised my head. “Just kiss me. Make me forget about this unpleasant morning.”